NEW LONDON, Conn. — Bipartisan federal laws was launched Tuesday that may shield cadets on the U.S. Coast Guard Academy who report a sexual assault from being disciplined for minor collateral misconduct, similar to underage consuming.

The change would put the Connecticut service academy in keeping with insurance policies at Department of Defense navy academies. The U.S. Coast Guard is overseen by the Department of Homeland Security.

The laws comes amid latest revelations that the service didn't broadly disclose a six-year inside investigation it carried out, generally known as Operation Fouled Anchor, into dozens of circumstances of sexual assault and misconduct between 1988 and 2006. The Coast Guard additionally apologized for not taking “appropriate action” years in the past when it didn't adequately deal with circumstances of sexual assault and harassment on the academy in New London.

Democratic U.S. Rep. Joe Courtney, whose district contains the academy, famous in a press release how the Department of Defense “swiftly implemented” a coverage change stopping cadets at its service academies from receiving punishment for minor offenses after they report sexual assault or harassment. He mentioned such protections should be prolonged to the Coast Guard Academy cadets as properly.

“This is one step in the process to care for our cadets as I continue to engage with Coast Guard leadership on the path forward following its failure to disclose the investigation into its history of sexual assault and harassment at the Coast Guard Academy,” Courtney mentioned.

He co-sponsored the laws with Republican U.S. Rep. Trent Kelly of Mississippi and Democratic Reps. Rick Larsen of Washington and Salud Carbajal and Nanette Diaz Barragan of California.

“I know how important it is for our Coasties to have the same rights and protections against sexual misconduct as other members of our military,” Carbajal, a veteran and the highest Democrat on the House subcommittee overseeing the U.S. Coast Guard, mentioned in a press release. “This bill is simple and straightforward, bringing all military service academies under the same umbrella of safety and accountability to protect the next generation of servicemembers.”

The National Defense Authorization Act in 2021 required the Department of Defense to implement the Safe-to-Report Policy for a midshipman or cadet who's a sufferer of an alleged sexual assault at a DOD miliary academy and has dedicated a minor offense similar to underage consuming or violating curfew.

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